Blood test pos. for down syndrome

[loramac]

Hi, I am 35 years of age and my screen came back as 1:5.  Went for level II ultrasound and a soft marker of short femur and humerus came up.  Many people have said that the screen can produce false positives.  I really feel like they are trying to scare you, but don't have an exact science to all of this uless you get the amnio.  This soft marker, from what I understand, doesn't carry a lot of weight because they said they also see this in perfectly healthy babies.  Feeling frustrated because I feel they are just trying to cover their butts and are being very general.  Anyone else experiece this?

[H8pickingname]

Sorry. I posted my question in the wrong spot. I'm new to this.

[H8pickingname]

I am 35 and 20 weeks pregnant with a girl!  We had our son 14 months ago, and he is very healthy. I had the triple blood screen test and it came back slight risk for DS-1:160. I then went for the level 2 ultrasound and everything about her looked perfect. They didn't find anything at all. I am still worried. My husband is not at all worried, but I can't help to be.  Any thoughts on this. The doctors are so vague.  Thank you.

[loramac]

Thanks everyone.  We opted out of the amnio and I believe in my heart that this baby is healthy.  I agree with the above post that they are just giving you your odds, but really need to present it in a very different way.  They are scaring the hell out of new mothers and it is sad.  I have read about so many women in angst over this and then all turns out find.  I am just going to remain positive.  Thanks!

[adgal]

I know hearing those odds are scary.  I was scared when my bloodwork combined with my u/s screen came back 1:13 odds. And then they use words like "positive screen" and it does scare the wits out of you.

Here is the thing to remember with these particular tests.  They are absolutely not diagnostic.  They are simply designed to give you your odds, and to help you determine whether you would like further testing.  Soft markers are also not a good diagnostic tool.  They are simply one clue. Again, they are intended to help you determine if more testing is what you want.  At this point the only diagnostic way to know for certain is amnio.  I had it and although I would never advocate for or against it (I am a very strong believer that it is a highly personal decision), it is good for you to know the facts.  If you want more info on my experience I am happy to provide it.

Don't let this test frighten you. Use it to determine if you want to know for certain. Remember that what this actually means is that there is a 20% chance your baby has DS, or an 80% chance he or she does not.  I hate that they use words like positive.  

They are not trying to intentionally scare you, I think they just need to change the way they deliver information like that.

I would start by educating yourself thoroughly on what this all means.  Perhaps schedule an appointment with your Dr. to discuss the test results, whether or not amnio is the right choice for you,  what having a baby with DS might mean, and what your options are.  Knowledge is power, and can help remove the fear.  Do not allow anyone to make any decisions for you and your partner.  Gather all the info and it will become clear to you what the right thing is for you and your family.  Take care honey and know that you have support here if you need it.

[queenspade]

I am sorry for your worry too.  With my son last year our results came back at 1:3 for downs syndrome.  We opted for an amnio, unfortunately we weren't given the opportunity.  Due to something COMPLETELY unrelated our son passed away a week later.  After his birth, he was examined & his tissues were tested.....NO DOWNS!  He also had some choroid plexus cysts on his brain which were considered to be markers.  I agree with the above post & if you need to know I would opt for the amnio.  We had decided no matter the results we would be happy & it wouldn't change our feelings for our son.  Good luck to you!!

[Birds71]

So sorry you are going through this.  Last summer, I was also given 1:5 odds but when we we opted for CVS, they increased those odds after further U/S to either 1:3 or 1:2.  Of course we were devastated and tests came back as positive for DS.  A very large cystic hygroma had also formed.

I'm not trying to scare you at all.  In fact, you will hear most stories on this board that have had totally positive outcomes even with increased odds.  it's a very personal choice, but you may want to opt for either CVS or Amnio.  Or if the outcome doesn't matter to you, then you may not care to do further testing.

I wish you the best of luck!!  Hopefully everything is fine and you will meet your perfect baby soon!!